The present disclosure relates to ostomy appliances, and more particularly to a dual-chamber ostomy pouch and a flat output tap for ostomy appliances.
Ostomy pouches for the collection of body waste output from a stoma are well known. Ostomy pouches typically include flat, opposing side walls secured together along their edges to define a human stomal discharge collection cavity. One of the side walls is provided with an opening to receive a stoma, and means such as a connecting flange is provided for securing the pouch to an adhesive barrier placed to surround the stoma so that body waste discharged through the stoma will be received within the cavity. At its lower end, the ostomy pouch may have a discharge opening which may be closed during collection of body waste that passes through the stoma but may be opened for draining the body waste from the pouch after a period of use. Alternatively, the ostomy pouch may be designed for a single use in which case it will not be provided with a discharge opening since the entire pouch will be discarded after it has substantially filled with human stomal discharge.
A drainable pouch is typically reusable following periodic emptying of the body waste by utilizing a closure for the discharge opening. Such closures may take a number of different forms so long as it serves to prevent leakage of the body waste. On the other hand, there is no need for a closure in the case of a single use pouch since it is intended to be discarded following a single use.
Some drainable pouches are designed to be coupled to drainage tubes leading to relatively large volume bedside containers. These permit stoma discharge to drain continuously through the pouch into the container so that, for example, the user can sleep through the night without periodic need to empty the contents of the ostomy pouch. Such drainable pouches include an output tap for connecting to a drainage tube, either directly or via an adapter. Output taps typically have a generally cylindrical shape and a circular cross-sectional area. They are bulky under clothing and can have difficulty passing large pieces of solid matters. This can often lead to user discomfort and clogged night time drainage systems.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved ostomy appliance. Desirably, such an ostomy appliance can separate solid matter from liquid waste. More desirably, such an appliance includes an outlet that can discharge liquid waste separate from or in conjunction with solid waste from the ostomy pouch.